House Poised to Address Temporary Intel, Nuke Funding Bills

Oct. 4, 2013 - 03:45AM
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US airmen work in a Minuteman III underground launch control center at Minot Air Force Base, N.D. The US House is poised to approve temporary spending measures that would fund nuclear-weapons and intelligence activities until mid-December. (US Air Force) (Master Sgt. Lance Cheung)

WASHINGTON — The US House is poised to approve two temporary spending measures that would fund until mid-December some of the nation’s most-sensitive national security programs and operations.

The House Rules Committee on Thursday evening cleared two bills that would provide funding through Dec. 15 for all US intelligence and nuclear-weapons activities and programs.

The House crafted the bills after senior US intelligence officials warned during public testimony on Capitol Hill that a government could increase the chances of an intelligence failure — and an attack on the United States.

The nuclear-funding bill would cover “continuing projects or activities ... that were conducted in fiscal year 2013.”

It would cover some things that could provide relief for the Pentagon and US defense firms that provide nuclear-arms components and maintenance work on the atomic arsenal.

The short-term intelligence bill would fund through Dec. 13 at 2013 levels all intel “programs and activities” that were underway in 2013.

The intelligence-funding bill would provide funds for “producing finished intelligence for the president or senior military or civilian officials,” as well as the collection of intelligence, covert action missions, analytic support and warning intelligence functions.

The House and Senate already sent the president a bill that would ensure military troops are paid during the government shutdown.

The House’s temporary intelligence-funding bill would allow civilian contractors under existing contracts to receive payment, as well as any intelligence agency workers deemed “necessary.”

Senate leaders so far have — with the exception of the military pay measure — rejected the House’s approach of passing piecemeal mini-CRs.